The Dryad 45 Magic Seed

"Could you just rest under a different tree to change the color of your hair?" Gray asked.

It would take several hours of me resting under a different tree for me to change my hair to a more 'natural' color, and I did not think we wanted to take the time for that. Not to mention there were no maples with that bright red color near. There were some that had pale brown, almost blond colored leaves clinging to their branches, but I think my hair turning blond would be just as big of a deal. I shook my head. "That would take too long. I think our best choice would be leaving as soon as we can. We should hurry up and get ready to leave. Once we finish the trade we should head out of this village."

No one seemed to have an issue with my idea because they started getting ready for our departure. We varied the routine a little. The girls did not take time to practice. Emily started making some breakfast, while Istan and Leafia broke camp and Gray took care of the horses. I had tried to be of use in the past, but I still had very little skill at any of these tasks. If I was not careful I would end up being more of a nuisance than I was a help.

I figured the best thing I could do was to move the barrels out of the tent to a location that would be easy for us to finalize the transaction with the village.

I walked out of the tent carrying the larger barrel full of the medicine for joint pain, when Gray said, "Miss Laurel, please let me help you." It had taken both Istan and Gray's effort to move it into my tent last night. I am guessing that if Gray wanted to, he could have done it himself. He would have been used to lugging his game out of the woods. I was guessing that he was more concerned about hurting himself or dropping the barrel which is why he asked for help. Hurting myself was never something that I needed to worry about. My muscles and joints were not as fragile as those of humans or elves. This meant that I did not need to hold back my strength like elves and humans always did. Though it did seem like most of them were not aware that they were holding themselves back. But it made sense. Before they started building these larger communities they have now, a serious injury by working too hard would only mean death.

"Don't worry, I have it," I said freeing a hand to wave at him, showing him I was fine.

With me taking care of the barrels for them, the others did each of their jobs quickly and were all but packed before breakfast was ready. Since we were in a town and expecting company, I had a small serving of the porridge too. I already stood out enough with my blue spruce colored hair. Not eating would only draw more attention to this. We were almost finished eating when some of the men from the village came to finalize the trade they negotiated yesterday. I had not yet learned what the exact conditions of the trade were, so I attempted to listen in without being noticed.

However, before I could hear the details of the trade, I detected a small pair of feet running towards me at high speed. I grabbed the corners of my hood tightly fearing what would come next. Just a moment later, Sharlin's small body slammed into my back.

"I am so glad that you have not left yet. My mom would not let me leave the house until I finished my morning ch.o.r.es. I was thinking you would leave before I got a chance to say goodbye."

"We have not left yet, but we will soon," I said, setting my bowl down to stand up. Sharlin must have thought I was clearing s.p.a.ce for her to sit, because she quickly flopped onto my lap.

"I really wish I could go with you," she said with exasperation. "It is so boring in this small village. Everyone here is so old or so young. I have no one to play with."

"I would also fall into that category of 'so old' compared to you," I said with a smile.

"But you are a sorceress! That is so wonderful!" I see that she did not deny that I was old. She has no idea how correct she was in that. "If I was a sorceress I would not have to be afraid of anything." The she added in a quieter voice. "I wouldn't have to go through what I did last night. I don't know why, but I felt so scared."

I had to wonder if she felt some of my power last night. I was ashamed to admit it, but it was likely that anyone who was able to feel my power last night would have been afraid. I felt even more grateful for Leafy not running away from me and helping me when I needed it. She was very brave, especially for an elf. They would usually much rather attack from the shadows and not face things head on. It might be partially why she did not fit in well.

"Even when you are strong, you still have things that you are afraid of. I am afraid of losing my friend. I might be partially to blame for why you were afraid last night. I was sad and angry at what was happening to my friend," I said with a downcast face.

"How would you being sad affect me?"

"It would if you had the ability to use magic. Magicians and spirits can feel one another."

"You mean I might really be able to learn magic like you!" she said overly excited. I was a little afraid that someone might say something about her outburst, but the most she got was a few casual glances. I am guessing that they all thought that I was just humoring a child's fantasies, but she really might have potential. There was only one way to tell.

"I am going to find out now if you do have the ability to use magic. Let me know if you feel anything." After I said this, I began pushing my power into her like I did with Ivy. However, for me this felt much different. There was a noticeable resistance to my power and I was unable to feel anything back. This was to be expected, she was not a plant. That is why I needed her to tell me what she felt. I would have a hard time feeling her seed of magic before it started to grow.

As my power entered her body she let out a shudder. "Why do I feel warm in my chest?" she asked in confusion.

"That would be because you have the potential to use magic."

"Really!" She said in a shout. "How to I throw fireb.a.l.l.s or shoot lightning?'

I had to start laughing at her. I reigned in my power before I continued. "Magic is not that simple. I do not know what type of magic you will be able to use or how well you will be able to use it." Continuing slowly I said, "Remember that feeling you have now. Try to control that warm spot inside you and help it grow until it circulates through your body. Once you can do that, you will need to find what things will accept your power. Until you can do that, you will not be able to do any magic.

"I myself am only able to work with plants, but my ability with plants is much stronger than most."

"But if you can only work with plants, why is your hair green today when it was red yesterday?"

I did my best not to panic at her question. She was only around eight years old and did not mean any harm. But she was smart and already caught my blunder.